The Merger (film)

Last updated

The Merger
Directed byMark Grentell
Screenplay by Damian Callinan
Produced by
  • Anne Robinson
  • Mark Grentell
  • Damian Callinan
Starring
CinematographyTony Luu
Music byDavid Bridie
Production
company
Crow Crow Productions Dream Genie Pictures Pty Ltd Definition Films
Distributed byUmbrella Entertainment Pty Ltd
Release dates
  • 11 August 2018 (2018-08-11)(Melbourne Film Festival)
  • 30 August 2018 (2018-08-30)
Running time
103 minutes
CountryAustralia
LanguageEnglish

The Merger is a 2018 Australian drama comedy film based on comedian Damian Callinan's critically acclaimed solo show of the same name. The film explores the decline of a cash-strapped Aussie Rules rural footy club and the recruitment of refugees to keep the club viable. The tagline for this film is "If they can play, they can stay." [1]

Contents

Cast

Synopsis

The rural New South Wales town of Bodgy Creek is struggling: with drought, job scarcity (after the timber mill was shut down), and with racism. [2] The film focuses on the Roosters (a local football team) which is in financial strife. The team faces a dilemma - either they will have to merge with another club or fold.

Living a hermit-like existence on the town's fringe, former football star Troy Carrington (Damian Callinan), is coaxed into rescuing the team after striking up an unlikely friendship with young Neil (Rafferty Grierson). Neil, who is struggling with the recent loss of his father, decides to trust Troy despite the fact that he is a disgraced local who most people blame for the town's decline (he led a protest to close down the timber mill, leading to mass job losses.) Thus, Troy is given a chance for redemption – a second go at saving the town he allegedly destroyed.

Teaming up with Neil's mum Angie (Kate Mulvany) who runs a nearby refugee support centre, they unite to recruit the new arrivals to save the team and take the community on a journey of change. But for some, like Neil's grandfather and Club President, Bull (John Howard) and ‘star’ player Carpet Burn (Angus McLaren), it's more change than they're willing to take. Bull wants to stick with tradition and is angered by the fact that his daughter-in-law, Angie wants to change it up and make a move for the future. He organises a petition to protest against refugees joining the team and even arranges for protesters to picket at training.

The film is a commentary on Australia's refugee policy and the racism it generates. [3] Through hearing characters like Tou Pou (a refugee from Laos), Sayyid (a Syrian refugee) and Didier (who fled from Burundi) speak about their experiences, the other players begin to empathise with their experience. In the resolution of the film, the players (and the broader community) learn to accept people for who they are and what they can offer a community. Viable employment is also found for many of the skilled migrants as Angie and Troy discover that a funding grant exists to encourage organisations to employ refugees as builders (to fix the clubhouse which has been condemned due to asbestos.)

According to Film Ink "The Merger is busting with great gags and loveable characters, and its messages about tolerance and the value of mateship are timely and well placed." [4]

Production and release

The movie was filmed in Wagga Wagga and environs, New South Wales. [5] [6] Production was completed in 2017 and the film was released on 30 August 2018 to Australian and New Zealand theatres.

Soundtrack

SONG TITLECREDIT
Come Back AgainWritten by Ross Wilson (as R. Wilson) (Mushroom Music)

Performed by Daddy Cool

The Colour of Your JumperWritten by Archie Roach (as A. Roach) (Mushroom Music)

Performed by Archie Roach (as A. Roach)

Meet Me in the Middle of the AirComposed by Paul Kelly

Performed by Paul Kelly and Stormwater Boys

I'm Gonna Play on the Wing For JesusWritten by Andrew Carswell/My Friend the Chocolate Cake

David Bridie Courtesy of Mushroom Records

Love Thy OpponentWritten by David Bridie

Related Research Articles

The Sundowners is a 1960 Technicolor comedy-drama film that tells the story of a 1920s Australian outback family torn between the father's desires to continue his nomadic sheep-herding ways and the wife and son's desire to settle in one place. The Sundowners was produced and directed by Fred Zinnemann, adapted by Isobel Lennart from Jon Cleary's 1952 novel of the same name, with Deborah Kerr, Robert Mitchum, and Peter Ustinov, Glynis Johns, Mervyn Johns, Dina Merrill, Michael Anderson Jr., and Chips Rafferty.

This is an overview of 1929 in film, including significant events, a list of films released and notable births and deaths.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wagga Wagga</span> City in New South Wales, Australia

Wagga Wagga is a major regional city in the Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia. Straddling the Murrumbidgee River, with an urban population of more than 57,003 as of 2021, it is an important agricultural, military, and transport hub of Australia. The ninth largest inland city in Australia, Wagga Wagga is located midway between the two largest cities in Australia—Sydney and Melbourne—and is the major regional centre for the Riverina and South West Slopes regions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harden, New South Wales</span> Town in New South Wales, Australia

Harden–Murrumburrah is a town and community in the Hilltops Region and is located in the South West Slopes of New South Wales in Australia. Harden is adjacent to both the Canberra region of the Australian Capital Territory and the Riverina Region in the southwest area of NSW. The town is a twin town between Harden and Murrumburrah.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Angie Harmon</span> American actress (born 1972)

Angela Michelle Harmon is an American actress and model. She won Seventeen's modeling contest in 1987 at age 15, signed with IMG Models, and appeared on covers for magazines such as Cosmopolitan and Esquire. Her acting breakthrough came with the role of Ryan McBride on Baywatch Nights (1995–1997), and she earned four Screen Actors Guild Award nominations for playing Abbie Carmichael on Law & Order (1998–2001). Harmon also appeared in a number of film roles, which notably include voicing Barbara Gordon in the animated Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker (2000) and Ronica Miles in Agent Cody Banks (2003).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Group 9 Rugby League</span>

Group 9 is a rugby league competition based in Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, Australia, and surrounding areas. The competition is played in six grades, with these being Under 16s, Under 18s, Women's Tackle, Women's League-Tag, Reserve-Grade and First-Grade.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Group 20 Rugby League</span> Rugby league competition in Griffith, New South Wales, Australia

Group 20 is a rugby league competition in the region of Griffith, New South Wales, Australia. The competition is played in six grades, with these being Under 16s, Under 18s, Women's League-Tag, Women's Tackle, Reserve Grade and First Grade.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Rock, New South Wales</span> Town in New South Wales, Australia

The Rock is a town with a population of 1,347, in the Riverina region of southern New South Wales, Australia, in Lockhart Shire. It is 32 kilometres (20 mi) south-west of Wagga Wagga, on the Olympic Highway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Culcairn</span> Town in New South Wales, Australia

Culcairn is a town in the south-east Murray region of New South Wales, Australia. Culcairn is located in the Greater Hume Shire local government area on the Olympic Highway between Albury and Wagga Wagga. The town is 514 kilometres (319 mi) south-west of the state capital, Sydney and at the 2016 census had a population of 1,473.

Group 17 is a rugby league competition based in the Riverina and Central West regions of New South Wales, Australia. The competition collapsed in 2006 and reformed in 2018 as the Western Riverina Community Cup with six teams. It is currently sponsored by a chicken farm company called Proten which has been sponsoring the whole competition since 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Carrington (television executive)</span> Australian television executive (born 1961)

Michael Andrew Carrington, is an Australian broadcast media executive who is currently Director, Entertainment and Specialist at the ABC based in Sydney, New South Wales. He oversees all national radio, television, and digital services including ABC TV (ABC1), ABC TV Plus (ABC2), ABC Me, ABC Kids plus ABC iview, ABC Listen, ABC Kids Listen, ABC Classic FM, ABC Jazz, ABC Country, and Radio National.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tranent F.C.</span> Association football club in Scotland

Tranent Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the town of Tranent, East Lothian.

Damian Callinan is an actor/comedian from Melbourne, Australia.

The Phantom Stockman is a 1953 Australian Western film written and directed by Lee Robinson and starring Chips Rafferty, Victoria Shaw, Max Osbiston and Guy Doleman.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Damian Jones (basketball)</span> American basketball player (born 1995)

Damian William Jones is an American professional basketball player for the Zhejiang Golden Bulls of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). He played college basketball for the Vanderbilt Commodores and was selected in the first round of the 2016 NBA draft by the Golden State Warriors with the 30th overall pick. Jones is a two-time NBA champion, having won both with Golden State in 2017 and 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Damian Willemse</span> Rugby player

Damian Willemse is a South African professional rugby union player for the South Africa national team and the Stormers in the United Rugby Championship and Western Province in the Currie Cup. His regular position is fullback, but he can also play as a fly-half, winger, or inside centre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Troy Brown Jr.</span> American basketball player (born 1999)

Troy Randall Brown Jr. is an American professional basketball player who last played for Manisa Basket of the Basketbol Süper Ligi (BSL) and the Basketball Champions League (BCL). In his senior year of high school, Brown was named a 2017 McDonald's All-American. He played college basketball for the Oregon Ducks. Brown was selected with the 15th overall pick by the Washington Wizards in the 2018 NBA draft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kirin J. Callinan</span> Australian musician

Kieran John Callinan, known by his stage name Kirin J. Callinan, is an Australian singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He is also a founding member of Mercy Arms and has played with the Night Game, Jack Ladder and the Dreamlanders, Mark Ronson and Genesis Owusu.

The 2020 Newcastle Knights season was the 33rd in the club's history. Coached by Adam O'Brien and captained by Mitchell Pearce, they competed in the NRL's 2020 Telstra Premiership. On 23 March, the NRL announced that the season would be suspended after round 2, until further notice due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The NRL returned on 28 May with a new draw, the Knights' round 3 game coming on 31 May against the Penrith Panthers. The Knights finished the regular season in 7th place, thus reaching the finals but were knocked out after losing to the South Sydney Rabbitohs in week 1.

References

  1. ↑ "The Merger". IMDB. Archived from the original on 21 June 2022. Retrieved 21 June 2022.
  2. ↑ "The Merger". Umbrella Entertainment. Archived from the original on 5 July 2022. Retrieved 21 June 2022.
  3. ↑ "Inside the story: The Merger - a sports film as a vehicle for social change". The Merger. 7 May 2019. Archived from the original on 21 June 2022. Retrieved 21 June 2022.
  4. ↑ "The Merger". Film Ink. 2018. Archived from the original on 21 June 2022. Retrieved 21 June 2022.
  5. ↑ "The Merger". The Reeelbits.com. 3 July 2018. Archived from the original on 4 September 2018. Retrieved 3 September 2018.
  6. ↑ "New Aussie Film the Merger has National Premiere in Wagga | News | Wagga". Archived from the original on 15 June 2020. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.